Attachment for firearms



T. "W. POST.

ATTACHMENT FOR FIREARMS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. I9l8- 1 2. m 9 ..l ,m m r 01H. w s w n 0 Am J P W n N e m P 1 m w M m T. w. POST. ATTACHMENT FOR FIREARMS.

1,387,308. APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. IQIB- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nsirassrares earner orrlcs,

TRuMAnw. POST, or vnwYoRK, n. Y., ASSIGNOR 'ro ARMS rnonuo'rs COMPANY, on

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AT'IACHIVIENT FOR FIREARMS.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TRUMAN W. Pos'r, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Firearms, of which the following is a specification.v

' secured to the firearm at one end and adapt- My invention relates to firearms and particularly to an attachment for taking up the recoil or kick incident to the discharge of the firearm. It consists broadly. of a strut or like device, temporarily or permanently ed to rest against the ground or other base at its opposite end. It is intended for use primarily with such manually supported and discharged firearms as the ordinary serv--.

ice rifle, small, low-velocity howitzers, and the like, when firing small grenades, bombs, etc., the recoil from which is too great to be taken by the body without danger of injury. y providing means for taking up this recoil not only physical shock-is eliminated, injury prevented, and nervous energy conserved, but also all mental faculties relieved from strain from this source, aim improved, and the faculties in general exercised to better advantage in the management of the firearm.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective of a portable.

howitzer shown in position for use, 7

Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations drawn to a larger scale, showing a howitzer of this type with my attachment secured thereto in different manners;

Figs. 4 and 5 are broken end and side elevations, respectively, of another modified construction of the attachment;

Fig. 6 is a broken side elevation of a still further modification;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an ordinary service rifie, showing my invention applied thereto in one form; 7

Fig. 8 is a. slde elevation of a howitzer showing the manner in which it is harried,

Fig. 9 is a side elevation showing the howitzer in posltion for firing;

Fig. 10 is a perspective of a harness by I which the howitzer may be carried;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug; 9, 1921, Application filed July 20, 1918. Serial No. 245,831. i

Fig. 12 shows a howitzer supported by :a A

sprag of this type in firing position; and

' Fig. 13 is a side elevation of'the end of a sprag, showing, in section, a modified con struction of the abutment flange.

It has become common practice in the trenches to fire from the rifle, grenades or small bombs, and lately specially. designed portable howitzers of small size have been brought into use for the same purpose. The recoil or kick occasioned by the discharge of grenades, is too great to be taken with safety by the operator, and, in any event, whether fired from the body or rested against a log or boulder, the likelihood of dangeror the inconvenience of the position occupied by the grenadier has proven sufiicient to interfere seriously with the most efi'ective operation of the firearm. The present device is designed to afford a supportfor firearms ofthis in fixedposition, a sprag 11, the lower end' 12 of which isfpointed to enter the ground, while the flange 13 adjacent the point af fords a thrust abutment which is particularly serviceable when the ground is soft.-

Obviously, the flange 13 may be made/of any desired size and, shape. I have shown it as a relativelysmall disk, but this is only for the purpose of illustration; The body ofthe sprag llfis preferably of metal, 'although it may beof anysuitable material "which will stand thethrust strains incident 7 to the discharge of the firearm;

In Fig. 2 I have shown a sprag of-this type pivoted lugs 15 at the and held in position by'a removing the cotter pin, withdrawn and the sprag 11 detached when the howitzer is not in use. In the'form breech end of the howitzer 10 cotter pin .16. By

the bolt 14"may1be on apin 14 passing-through Y is used to secure the sprag in longitudinally.

adjusted position.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a tubular sprag 20, to the end of which is secured a head 21 carrying a latch 22. The nose of the latter engages a latch plate 23 secured to the breech of the howitzer 10 and having a hinged connection 24 to the head 21 of the sprag. When thehowitzer is not in use,'the sprag may be swung into out-of-the-way position on thehinge 24. When the howitzer is to be used and the sprag brought into play, itis merely swung down into alinement ,with the howitzer, whereupon the latch 2-2 automatically engagesthe latch plate 23 under the action of the latch spring 25.

The tubular construction indicated in Figs. 4 and 5'may be utilized, as shown in Fig. 6, to afford a sprag of adjustable length.

As there shown, the upper section 26 of the sprag is tubular-and secured to the breech of the howitzer 10. The lower end of'the sprag is a rod 27, sliding in the tubular por- 1 tion 26 and held in adjusted position by the thumb-screw 28. I j

In Fig. 7 I have shown my invention applied to the ordinary service rifle '29. For

this purpose, the sprag 30 has at its gun end,"

a socketv 31 adapted to receive the stock 32 of the gun, to which it is detachably secured by a set screw 33 passing through the arm 34 of the socket. V I s In. Fig. 8-1 have shown the howitzer 1O hung upon a supporting body harness for transport. As seenin this figure, the how itzer is provided with muzzle and breech rings 35 and 36, respectively; On each ring is an eye 37, 38, adapted to receive a hook. attached to the harness. The body harness,

as hereshown, comprises a breast belt 39 having a shoulder strap 40adapted to pass over the right shoulder. Adjacent the rear terminus of this strap 40 is secured a can rying hook 41 which takes into the eye 38 of the breech ring 36 when the howitzer is being carried. From the front portion of the breast belt 39 depends a tongue 42 having a hook 43 at its lower end. This hook engages the eye 37 of the muzzle ring'35 on the-howitzer when the latter is supported in firingposition (Fig. 9). A harness of this type. is not only very l ght but very simple, while, at the same time, affording considerable flexibility of adjustment, since both the shoulder strap 40 and the depend:

the howitzer can be manually supported and steadied while marching.

In Fig. 11 I have shown another modified construction of the sprag, which here comprises two half round bars 44 and 45 of equal length, adapted to be held together at one end by a cross pin 46 and at the other end by the bearing ring 47 which screws upon a threaded, divided ferrule 48, as shown in Fig. 11. The end adapted to be attached to the howitzer is externally threaded at 49 to take into a tapped hole 50 in theend of the howitzer. When the howitzer is to be fired from the position shown in Fig. 9, the sprag will be attached in the manner" shown in F ig. 11. On the other hand, if thehowitzer is to be fired from the ground, it will be supported upon the sprag as shown in Fig. 12. In thisposition, the two bars 44 and 45 are separated by unscrewing the ring 47 and the upper ends held in swivel joints 51 by pins 52 passing through the holes left open by the removal of the crosspin46. This gives a tripod support for therhowitzer, the elevation of which may be altered by either spreading the legs 4445 or by swinging the body oi the howitzer on the pivots 53.

In Fig. 13 I have shown the sprag 11 provided with a thrust plate 54, which is spaced from its abutment flange 55 by a cushion 56 of resilient material, suchoas rubber. A modification of this type may beap'plied to any of the sprag constructions illustrated. It is equally obvious that there may be various combinations of the several modifications shown, and the invention contemplates such combinations. Thus, it is perfectly clear that the divided construction of Fig. 11 could be equally well applied to the construction of Fig. 3'or Fig. 6; while the modifi'cation of Fig. 13 couldbe applied to any of the sprag abutmentplates, and similarly 'it is understood that the howitzers of Figs.

2 and 6 may be provided with the carrying, rings 35 and 36 and supported from a han' ness, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The par-.

ticular location of the carrying ringsis not material, and the supporting eyes may be placed upon any suitable attachment or part I of the howitzen Various other, (modifications of construction will readily occur to those dealing with the probleinwhich do n'ot, however, depart from what I claim. asmy invention, the essentialfeature of which is the provision of means for protecting the grenadier from injury due to recoil on the discharge of a bombthrowing firearm, and to relieve him, so far as possible, from the nervous strain now commonly incident thereto.

I claim 1. In ordnance, a portable firearm, a body harness for carrying the same, and a ground sprag forming, With the body harness, a support for the firearm in firing position.

2. In ordnance, a portable firearm, a body harness for carrying the same, and a ground" forming, With the body harness, a

sprag for the firearm 1n firing position,

support said sprag being attached to said firearm in such position as to take up substantially all the thrust of recoil on firing.

3. In ordnance, a portable firearm, a body harness having readily disengaged means for supporting said firearm in one position for transport and in another position for firing, in combination with a sprag associated With said firearm and forming a V grounded thrust bearing therefor when supported in firing position on said harness.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

-' TRUMAN W. POST. 

